Pakistan | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan was the seventh most affected country for civilians harmed by explosive weapons in 2024, with 790 civilian casualties and 210 killings, recorded across 248 incidents in the country, according to a report released by UK-based NGO, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) on Thursday. Titled, ‘Action on Armed Violence’ (AOAV), the report notes that the casualties in 2024 represent a nine per cent decrease from 2023. However, there was a 11 per cent increase in incidents compared to 218 in 2023. Pakistan was listed at seventh position among the 15 most affected countries and territories in 2024. The majority of civilians harmed was attributed to non-state actors, who were reported responsible for 76pc of civilian casualties. In particular, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) killed and injured 119 civilians in Pakistan last year. The BLA is among the biggest non-state users of explosive weapons in 2024, and it was the reported perpetrator of 15pc civilian casualties, marking a 440pc increase from 22...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday said that former US National Security Advisor John Bolton’s remarks on Pakistan’s nuclear weapons were prompted by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement.

ISLAMABAD - The Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Neil Hawkins, said that Australia was proud to support young Pakistani professionals through various educational scholarship programmes.

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Pakistan remains fully confident in the strength of its comprehensive nuclear security regime and the robustness of its command and control structures. In response to a media query regarding remarks made by former US National Security Advisor John Bolton to an Indian media outlet, and Indian Defence […]

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has given approval for gas price adjustments for several areas in Pakistan, including Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Islamabad, ARY News reported. The decision is applicable for both Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), with varying changes in pricing. According […]

KARACHI: Pakistan’s total liquid foreign reserves increased to US$16.64 billion by the week ended May 16, ARY News reported, citing the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Pakistan’s reserves held by the SBP increased to $ 11.44 billion following a tranche from the International Monetary Fund. “SBP reserves increased by US$ 1,043 million to US$ 11,446.5 […]

In sweltering Karachi, as tensions with India simmer over the Indus Waters Treaty, Musadik Masood Malik sips an Americano. Recently appointed as Pakistan’s federal minister for climate change and environmental coordination, Malik left his previous post overseeing the Ministry for Water Resources and Petroleum to take on what he describes as an urgent and daunting role. In one of his first interviews since the March 2025 reshuffle, he speaks exclusively to Dialogue Earth. Malik leans forward to list what he sees as Pakistan’s most pressing environmental threats: “Air pollution and its economic toll on the people of Pakistan. Water pollution and access. And solid waste [management], whether methane or carbon dioxide. These are the three major challenges we face,” he says. But it’s Pakistan’s melting glaciers that concern him most. Before arriving in Karachi, one of Senator Malik’s first official visits was to Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan’s northernmost region and home to some of the world’s largest glacial reserv...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday highlighted Hutchison Ports’ nearly three decades of investment in the country and described the company’s sustained engagement as a “clear sign of confidence in Pakistan’s economic policies.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asserted that Pakistan has delivered a historic response to India, claiming the country has finally avenged the 1971 war and warning the Modi government to think carefully before initiating any future attacks.

ISLAMABAD/ BEIJING - The Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan on Wednesday agreed to deepen Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation and extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan.

In a significant development, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to fully restore diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level, according to official sources.

LAHORE - To express strong solidarity with Azerbaijan, the government of Pakistan has reaffirmed its support for Azerbaijan following India’s hostile actions against the country for standing with Pakistan.

In a reciprocal move, Pakistan has declared an Indian High Commission official persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 24 hours, citing activities that were "inconsistent with his diplomatic status.

Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has stated that while Pakistan desires peace, India is fueling tensions through false narratives and reckless provocations.

India’s top court granted bail on Wednesday to a professor arrested for commentating online about the military conflict with Pakistan but did not stop the investigation against him. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a political science professor at the private, liberal-arts Ashoka University, was arrested on Sunday over a Facebook post criticising those “mindlessly advocating” for war. He also wrote that the “optics” of two women army officers who had held press briefings “must translate to reality on the ground otherwise it’s just hypocrisy”. Mahmudabad since said his comments had been “misunderstood” and that he had exercised his “fundamental right to freedom of thought and speech”. He is charged under multiple sections of India’s criminal code, including endangering the country’s sovereignty and using words or gestures with the intention of insulting the modesty of a woman. While granting Mahmudabad bail, India’s Supreme Court said he should have avoided the “use of complicated words” which could “hurt individuals” and...

The Indus River is far more than a waterway; it is the absolute heart of Pakistan, sustaining our nation, feeding our people, and powering our progress.

Pakistan remains committed to the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) despite recent developments, the federal secretary for water resources told the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Water Resources during a session chaired by Ahmed Ateeq Anwar.

PPP Chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday cautioned that a nuclear war between India and Pakistan will have devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to send a high-level diplomatic delegation to important world capitals to expose Indian propaganda“ in the aftermath of the recent military escalation with India. Bilawal has been entrusted to lead the delegation, comprising Senator Sherry Rehman, Dr Musadik Malik, Engineer Khurram Dastgir, Hina Rabbani Khar, Faisal Sabzwari, Tehmina Janjua, and Jalil Abbas Jilani. The former foreign minister was speaking to the media after receiving an initial briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before he leads the high-level diplomatic delegation to world capitals to brief foreign leaders on India’s aggression and efforts to destabilise regional peace. Bilawal said they received an initial briefing at the Foreign Office on the ceasefire, Kashmir, terrorism and the “attack” on ...

Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan convened an informal meeting in Beijing to reaffirm their commitment to enhancing trilateral cooperation aimed at promoting regional security, economic integration, and connectivity.

Peshawar - Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Faisal Karim Kundi, on Tuesday appreciated the performance of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and emphasized the significant economic potential of the province’s industrial and gems and stones sectors.